12 Great St. Patrick's Day Beers That Are Not Guinness

It's almost time for St. Patrick's Day (March 17), the one day every year when it's OK to be hopped up on craic.

The annual celebration brings hordes of Canadians into bars decked out in green clothes, silly hats and clutching pints of Guinness as they belt out slurred renditions of "Home for a Rest."

While we're totally in favour of two of those things (and on occasion, all of them), we just want you know that you don't HAVE to limit yourself to Guinness. There are plenty of other dark beers that will do you just as well. And if you want to go lighter, know that plenty of Irish drinkers will be right there with you.

Here are a few beers to help you buck the mainstream this St. Patrick's Day.